We first saw Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen back in 2011, and the character has been on quite the journey since then. So has Clarke, and as Game of Thrones season 8 is about to air and bring an end to the series and closure to the fans, she spoke to SFX magazine about saying goodbye to her fantasy alter ego… and reading the final script.
"I read it in an afternoon and then I just left my house and walked around London for about three hours," she says.
"It’s so epic. There’s a lot that happens. Ten years of anyone’s life is [going to be] filled to the brim with big moments. And so saying goodbye to the show, saying goodbye to Daenerys is, for me, also saying goodbye to a lot of those moments. [This show is] the most defining thing that has happened to me in my life. It took me from being a child to being an adult. So it’s bittersweet."
Clarke also spilled the tea on her final day on set. She was actually shooting one of those fake endings that blockbuster TV shows films to try and prevent spoilers leaking off the set.
"It was super emotional. At the end of a movie the last day of wrap is usually a close-up on your hand as you’re switching a button or something. But this was a lovely scene, and it was one of the fake endings. I would never normally stand up and say anything [at a wrap], but for this, every character got an official proper goodbye. I started to stay something and just couldn’t get through the first sentence without bawling my eyes out."
You can read more about season 8 of Game of Thrones in SFX magazine, on sale now. Then check out all possible hints about the Game of Thrones ending from our dedicated diviners.
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